1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to in-line roller skates. More particularly, the invention pertains to an improved braking device for use with in-line skates for applying braking action to the wheels of the skates.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In-line roller skates have gained in popularity and use in recent years. These skates utilize a plurality of wheels arranged to rotate within a common plane and are capable of transporting a user at high rates of speed.
Various prior art braking devices to be used with in-line skates are known in the art. A typical example involves the use of a toe or heel stop. A piece of rubber is attached to the front or rear portion of the skate. Braking is achieved by a user tilting the skate in a forward or rearward direction to drag the piece of rubber on a skating surface. While these devices serve to provide a satisfactory braking means, they suffer from the disadvantage of being difficult to master, especially when skating on uneven surfaces.
To provide braking systems that are easy to use, many devices have been designed to allow a user to employ the braking system while keeping the wheels of the in-line skate firmly planted on the skating surface. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,171,032 and 5,351,974 issued to Dettmer and Cech, disclose in-line skate braking devices having brake pads which are positioned to come in contact with a number of selected wheels to cause braking action. However, these devices suffer from the disadvantage of requiring a separate hand held actuator to be connected to the skate by a cable to engage and disengage the braking action. The use of such an actuator can be both distracting and uncomfortable for users, especially when users wish to use their hands to maintain balance or hold additional objects.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,143,387 issued to Colla, discloses a braking assembly having brake pads which press against the wheels when the user's toes are curled and move a toe actuator located in the boot. While this device does provide a braking system that does not require the use of a separate hand held actuator, it suffers from a number of additional disadvantages. For example, the use of brake pads which engage against the outward portions of the wheels causes excessive wear of the wheels. Dirt and other particles that exist on the skating surface can also become lodged between the brake pad and wheel causing further damage to the wheels. An additional problem exists due to the location of the toe actuator within the boot. Besides the increased level of uncomfortableness involved with continued use, an additional risk of injury to the metatarsals or other bones of the foot does exist should the user crash or fall causing the boot to jam the toe actuator into the foot.
As will be described in greater detail hereinafter, the in-line skate braking device of the present invention differs from those previously proposed and employs a number of novel features that render it highly advantageous over the aforementioned prior art.